Priti to chair rail taskforce

26th February 2018

Witham MP Priti Patel has become the Chair of the Great Eastern Main Line Rail Taskforce at a meeting held in Parliament today (26 February 2018). Priti was a founding member of the GEML Rail Taskforce when it was established in 2013 and secured commitments to improve rail services. Priti is taking over the chairmanship from Colchester MP Will Quince and the Taskforce I made up of representatives from elected MPs, and the business community along the GEML. Priti said:

“I am pleased to be leading the work of the Rail Taskforce and look forward to working with colleagues and key stakeholders across the region to deliver the rail improvements the region needs. The East of England and Anglia region is an engine of economic growth and we can support more jobs creation and business growth with investment in modernising the rail network.”

“In 2014 the Rail Taskforce published a prospectus highlighting the clear strategic case for a series of infrastructure investment projects on the Mainline to improve services. The new rail franchise is already set to provide new trains but we must now escalate our campaign to get the new infrastructure we need delivered. I will be working on updating our economic and business cases for investment and bringing stakeholders across the region together so we can lobby the Government with one united voice.”

“Commuters are paying a lot of money for a service that is often poor and causes misery to many. Getting new investment in key new infrastructure improvements will make a big difference to improving services and improving capacity and performance for the future.”

Photo:Priti with Will Quince MP and Chloe Smith MP

A12/A120 Consultations

Strategic Road Network Consultations

There are two important consultations running at the moment on key strategic road infrastructure improvements - the A12 widening scheme and the upgrading of the A120. Priti has been campaigning to secure new investment in these roads and has welcomed the consultations taking place. Members of the public can review the proposals for the A12 and A120 at the weblinks below, attend consultation events, and respond to the consultation. Feel free to also contact Priti by email to: [email protected] with your views too.